The wire used for outdoor circuits is mostly what is called underwriters' standard. It consists of a copper wire which is braided with cotton and painted with asbestos to make it uninflammable. This wire is fastened to glass insulators on poles or houses in a way similar to that in which telegraph wires are usually run. Insulated wire, and not bare wire, should be used for tie wire, as the common non-insulated tie wire will cut the insulation of the line wire and possibly cause leaks. The size of arc light conductors varies between numbers 6 and 4, Brown & Sharpe gauge, number 6 being the smallest wire which can be used, according to the rules of the National Board of Fire Underwriters. If the return wire is fastened on the same poles, the positive and negative wires should be kept sufficiently far apart so they can not touch each other when swung by wind. It must be understood that the insulation called underwriters' standard is only an insulation when perfectly dry, and when wet is hardly any insulation at all. If, therefore, the positive and negative wires exposed to rain or moisture of any kind should come in contact with each other or with the ground, a short circuit would be caused. This may cut a number of lamps suddenly out and cause damage to the dynamo. Such an accident, for instance, may burn out the armature or throw off the belt. In very cold weather such occurrences are rare, as frost may make out of a circuit of the poorest insulation one of very high insulation, while on the other hand a thaw or rain may cause all kinds of disturbances. If these disturbances occur during a thunder storm accompanied by rain, lightning is often unjustly accused of having done the mischief, while in fact the poor insulation of the wires is the prinie cause.

Accidents from poor insulation of lines are more frequent than damages caused by lightning, though the latter will always be a ready excuse for anything that may have happened. Recently weather and water-proof insulation have come in vogue, and they are much safer than underwriters'standard wire.

In conducting wires into houses, great care must be taken to prevent rain following the wires. The wire should be fastened to the insulator below the point where it is intended to be led through the wall or a window frame, so the rain would have to run up hill in order to follow the wire, Fig. 35.

Fig. 35. — Proper Position of Insulator.

Fig. 36 shows a wood pin and glass insulator, such as are used on cross arms. The latter are fastened to poles by means of lag screws. Fig. 37 illustrates a wood bracket, which can be spiked to poles or houses and provided with a glass insulator. The glass insulators must always be fastened in a nearly vertical position, the closed end on top, so the space between the pin and glass insulator, Fig. 36, will remain dry in rainy weather and secure perfect insulation.

Fig. 36. — Wood Pin and Glass Insulator.

Fig. 37. — Wood Bracket.

Fig. 38 shows a rubber hook insulator. This should for the same reason be fastened with the hook downward. A hole can be bored with a 5/8 inch bit underneath a crossarm and the rubber hook screwed in with a wrench.

An extra heavy insulating material, such as rubber hose or hard rubber or porcelain tube, Fig. 39, must be put over the wires where they pass through walls or part